Yankees' Gerrit Cole unanimously wins AL Cy Young award

 

[November 16, 2023]  After several misses in his stellar career, Gerrit Cole broke through and won his first American League Cy Young Award in unanimous fashion, it was announced Wednesday on MLB Network.

Cole received all 30 first-place votes and 210 total points in balloting by 30 Baseball Writers' Association of America voters.

"I am extremely proud. It validates a lot of the hard work I've put in over the years," Cole said on MLB Network.

Sonny Gray of the Minnesota Twins finished second with 104 points and Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays placed third with 82 points. Gray received 20 second-place votes to Gausman's seven.

According to the BBWAA, it is the 11th time that an AL pitcher unanimously won the award.

Cole is the second Yankees pitcher to be a unanimous winner, joining Ron Guidry in 1978.

The right-handed Cole is the sixth Yankees pitcher to win the award and the first since Roger Clemens in 2001.

"We've had a lot of great pitchers over the years and I take a lot of pride in going out there and representing the Yankees' organization," Cole said. "To be joining them is truly very special and is part of a greater dream I had as a team."

The other Yankees to win the award are Bob Turley (1958), Whitey Ford (1961) and Sparky Lyle (1977).

Cole, 33, went 15-4 and led the league in ERA (2.63) and WHIP (0.98) while making 33 starts for the Yankees.

"He was simply dominant this year and took the ball every time it was his turn," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said in a statement. "What makes Gerrit so great is how dedicated he is to being the best version of himself he can be. He's meticulous in scouting opponents and evaluating his performances, while continually immersing himself in new ideas to make himself even better.

"He's a pitcher's pitcher, and we are lucky to have him leading our rotation and leading by example in our clubhouse."

Cole previously finished in the top five of the balloting on four other occasions.

He was second in 2019 for the Houston Astros and second in 2021 for the Yankees. Cole also was fourth in 2020 and fifth in 2018.

"This is a richly deserved award for Gerrit, and I couldn't be happier for him," New York manager Aaron Boone said in a statement. "It's not lost on me how fortunate I am to manage such a talented and driven player. Having the opportunity to witness Gerrit's dedication to his craft, to the game, and to his team has been a privilege. He pours so much into this. To see him finally awarded with this honor after years of coming close is incredibly exciting for all of us who share the clubhouse with him."

Gausman, 32, led the AL with 237 strikeouts while going 12-9 with a 3.16 ERA in 31 starts for the Blue Jays.

Gray, 34, went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts for the Twins. He finished second in ERA behind Cole.

Kyle Bradish of the Baltimore Orioles was fourth in the balloting with 39 points. Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners was fifth with 23.

--Field Level Media

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